It’s Tuesday, aka, the ninth day of our #28DaysOfBlackCosplay feature extravaganza! For the entire month of February, we’ll be showcasing some amazing Black cosplayers who have taken the time to tell us what inspires them to cosplay, what their favorite cosplays have been, and what the heck they do in their spare time (besides embodying fictional characters in creative ways).
milkieroses
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Photo by Anne Barhyte
milkieroses has been cosplaying for 8 years. Growing up, she’s always been into anime and discovered cosplay when she attended a local convention when she was 13. After seeing cosplayers for the first time, she thought it looked fun and decided to give it a try! You can check out the rest of her story below.
How do you decide what you’re going to cosplay?
I always go with what I’m really interested in, as well as if I think I’ll be able to afford doing the costume at the time.
Hey, it’s time to take a break from making that cosplay or buying it off your wishlist, what are you watching/playing/reading to unwind?
Anything magical girl related. Magical girls always brighten my day and have taught me since I was young that I could do anything despite being a girl, so they’re always something relaxing to watch.
Speaking of unwinding, who are your comfort characters? Who are you going to when you need a pick me up?
Rapunzel and Cassandra from the Tangled franchise are big ones for me, I am similar to both of them in many ways. Sailor Saturn (Sailor Moon) is also a big one to me!
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Photo by Katya Nuñez Photography
If you could live in a fictional universe where would it be and why?
Definitely the Precure world! It’s the longest-running magical girl franchise and I am a big fan, seeing all current 17 seasons to date. Growing up I always wanted to be a Precure, and it would be a dream come true haha.
Do you tend to cosplay the character/creature/entity as is or do you put your own spin on them? Any particular reason why? And yes, it’s perfectly ok to say “because I like to.”
Yes, I love doing afro and other Black hairstyle spins with my cosplays. I enjoy doing this as there aren’t many Black characters, especially in anime, for me to look up to. It’s fun making some of my favorite characters like me!
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Photo by Yuki Cat Captures
It’s cruel to ask what your favorite cosplay is so what are your top three (at most)? Are they the ones being featured or are they different ones?
I’d say my current top three is Sailor Saturn (Sailor Moon), Cure Flora (from Princess Precure), and Cassandra (Tangled the Series)!
What do your 2021 cosplans look like? If you’re trying to keep it secret OR you have no plans, that’s fine!
My biggest plan is Rapunzel! I recently invested in a high-quality wig and dress, and BOY am I excited to finally cosplay my favorite Disney Princess, ten-year-old me would be crying with joy if she saw me dressed as Rapunzel haha. Another is Princess Kraehe from Princess Tutu. I actually originally started the costume at the end of 2019, intended to be my very first cosplay for a cosplay contest in March 2020! But then obviously with what happened last year, Kraehe ended up on hold, but now I for sure plan on finishing her this year!
In an alternate universe where money and resources are plentiful, all your bills are paid, and you’ve got nothing but time, what dream cosplays are you doing?
I’d say Battle Boss Qiyana from League of Legends – with light-up armor and everything! I main Qiyana in League and that skin would be a blast to do if I could ever afford doing it!
What does #28DaysOfBlackCosplay mean to you?
It means a celebration of black cosplayers! It’s a way to show other cosplayers that we do in fact exist and showcase amazing Black cosplayers. Each year I find amazing Black cosplayers to follow thanks to the 28 days!
It’s March 1st, 2021, what would you like to see happen after the 28 days are over?
I’d still like to see Black cosplayers being supported.
What are you looking forward to in 2021? It doesn’t have to be cosplay related, it can be anything.
I’m working hard on this but I am making my own magical girl Webtoon. If it wasn’t obvious I am a big fan of magical girls, and I’m excited to release my own contribution to the genre this year! My comic has a lot of BIPOC magical girls in it, something I wish I could see more often in the genre.
Social media time! Tell us where we can find you! Give me as many links as you want. Twitter? TikTok? Patreon? I want it all!
You can find me on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok!
Lissandela
New year, new pin!
I’m Lyss, cosplayer and co-host of the Kigu Talk podcast. I’ve been cosplaying for 5 years, made 6 costumes and do foam smithing and sewing.
📷 for astro and feo: Joseph_lane_photo pic.twitter.com/6e6kBHLz3q
— Liss, the anima stan 🔜 the moon (@lissandela) January 1, 2021
Lissandela remembers the exact date when she started cosplaying: Halloween 2015. She’s always loved doing creative things and when she saw people cosplaying, she wanted to try it. At her first con, she cosplayed as Sylveon (Pokémon) and was shocked when people wanted to take pictures of her because she was self-conscious of her weight and the quality of her cosplay since she “threw things together.” She’s been inspired to cosplay ever since, her first self-made cosplay being Devil Mercy (Overwatch) in 2017. You can check out the rest of her story below.
How do you decide what you’re going to cosplay?
Haha, honestly it’s a mystery sometimes, but usually, the costumes that have reached completion are things that I got obsessed with at some point. I love complicated designs and being challenged, so I would say that’s probably one of the major deciding factors.
What cosplay are you most proud of? And yes, it’s absolutely ok to say ALL.
Feo Ul (Final Fantasy XIV). Not only is it my shortest major build but I also built a set of wings made completely out of foam. It’s probably one of the most recognizable things on my costume and the easiest to see. Feo Ul at first was seen as an impossible cosplay for me. I just couldn’t figure out how to put anything together. Somehow everything managed to click in my head and I ended up producing the whole thing. The wings ended up taking most of the production time with all the burning and airbrushing.
(I can still hear the airbrush pump motor in my head sometimes lol)
Sometimes you just wanna bathe in the sun with your favorite branch…even though they don’t call anymore ~.~
More Feo Ul. Though I say it’s unplugged because I have no earthly idea where her tiara is. Enjoy~ pic.twitter.com/RvUCrWl1K8
— Liss, the anima stan 🔜 the moon (@lissandela) May 12, 2020
What’s a cosplay moment that you remember fondly?
Wearing Devil Mercy for the first time at Momocon 2017. I was coming off of spending months making her, flying by the seat of my pants because a lot of the stuff I did, I had no experience with. So imagine making a set of wings and a light-up staff without really knowing the technical stuff about sanding or even how to solder wire together to light up a LED. I got so many compliments it was so surreal. That was the same weekend that I participated in a fandom photoshoot for the first time. There were so many Mercy’s!
Hey, it’s time to take a break from making that cosplay or buying it off your wishlist, what are you watching/playing/reading to unwind?
Lately, I’ve been catching up on my gaming backlog and finished Yakuza: Like a Dragon and AI: The Somnium Files. Now I play modded Minecraft with my boyfriend in between working on cosplay.
Speaking of unwinding, who are your comfort characters? Who are you going to when you need a pick me up?
Uh, I don’t have any comfort characters per se. I guess if I had to name one though, probably Feo Ul.
If you could live in a fictional universe where would it be and why?
I could see myself living in Eorzea (Final Fantasy XIV). I probably wouldn’t be the main hero or anything but I would probably make a living just being a simple black mage, blowing stuff up for profit and enjoyment.
Do you tend to cosplay the character/creature/entity as is or do you put your own spin on them? Any particular reason why? And yes, it’s perfectly ok to say “because I like to.”
I tend to go for accuracy but I keep that flexible. The reason being is that there are certain video game characters that have unique patterns on their shoes that you’ll never see unless they lift their feet and it’s like why on earth would I try to stress myself out replicating that? I also alter for comfort whether it’s skirt height or something else. Also if it looks like the detail is impossible to reproduce with human hands, then I usually take an approach that looks close to it or leave it out.
It’s cruel to ask what your favorite cosplay is so what are your top three (at most)? Are they the ones being featured or are they different ones?
I totally had some vogue vibes with my astrologian shoot. :)
Photographer: Joseph Lane Photography (joseph_lane_photo on Instagram) pic.twitter.com/GISsA7UJSE
— Liss, the anima stan 🔜 the moon (@lissandela) June 13, 2020
Photographer: Joseph Lane Photography
Feo Ul, Astrologian, and Pink Mercy (Overwatch). Feo Ul and Astrologian are featured, Pink is not. Feo and my Astro both come from Final Fantasy XIV and are my hardest builds to date. My Astro is my favorite because of all of the detail work I put in into the body of the dress. I hand embroidered stars into the side as well as put sewable LEDs that run alongside them. The end effect is super cool and I would love to do something like that again in the future.
Feo is my favorite honestly because of the giant butterfly wings. I totally winged (haha) everything from the patterning of said wings to the airbrushing. I honestly consider it a happy accident that the colors blended the way they did on them. Fun fact: it took 24 individual wing pieces to make the complete set of wings.
What do your 2021 cosplans look like? If you’re trying to keep it secret OR you have no plans, that’s fine!
Right now I have Valeera Sanguinar (Heroes of the Storm version) on the project list for 2021. It is my only cosplay project for now. I have a bunch of little side plans, Aloy’s bow (Horizon Zero Dawn), Winx Club wings. Eventually, I will have more set plans in the future. I still want to do a magical girl at some point.
In an alternate universe where money and resources are plentiful, all your bills are paid, and you’ve got nothing but time, what dream cosplays are you doing?
Rose from Legend of Dragoon. Goddess Madoka (Puella Magi Madoka Magica).
In yet another alternate universe, conventions are safe to return to, so where are you headed?
Either Momocon or FF Fanfest.
What inspires you to stay active in the community, especially in these trying times? If you haven’t been active that’s fine, too!
I haven’t been as active lately because when cons went, my productivity went too. I had to allow myself time to kind of reset so to speak. My Twitter mutuals inspire me to keep creating. I have no earthly idea how some of them managed to crank out so many cosplays but the creativity still gives me life.
What does #28DaysOfBlackCosplay mean to you?
While I wish it was year-round, #28DaysOfBlackCosplays, to me, is a celebration of the creativity that the Black community has to share and offer. I’ve seen so many talented people over the years and it inspires me. If they can do it, why can’t I?
It’s March 1st, 2021, what would you like to see happen after the 28 days are over?
Well, most of my timeline is Black cosplayers so I still hope to continue to see creativity and creative growth from them and others.
How can the community (people, events, etc.) do better to represent you and other Black cosplayers?
While it is not great, I have noticed that more and more Black cosplayers are getting opportunities—whether it’s sponsorships or features with big companies. I would say just continue to give us opportunities to grow and strive for.
Any tips for newcomers who are waffling on whether or not they should cosplay?
Oh, I have plenty hahaha but I will narrow it down.
1. Do not let your skin color detour you from cosplaying whomever/whatever you want. It’s a well-known fact that Black representation in media is…lacking. Don’t let that stop you from being whatever you want to be.
2. Don’t fall for the numbers game. Social media is a numbers game and it is easy to get lost in metrics and end up tying your creative self-worth into it. Always be mindful! The reach on any platform changes all the time and it can negatively impact your mental health. Less engagement on your post does not necessarily mean your work sucks.
3. Find your people. This is really important. It’s great and all to join this community but the cosplay community can honestly be pretty problematic. It’s important to be able to assess people because some of them are in it to use people and others are truly genuine.
4. Do what you want to, not because someone said you had to. This applies to cosplays, joining certain websites, etc. You do you. You make the decisions.
What are you looking forward to in 2021? It doesn’t have to be cosplay related, it can be anything.
Seeing where my podcast Kigu Talk ends up. It’s been a fun ride so far and I treasure my co-hosts.
Social media time! Tell us where we can find you! Give me as many links as you want. Twitter? TikTok? Patreon? I want it all!
I already linked my podcast above, but you can also find me on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
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That’s all for today, see everyone tomorrow!
(Image: milkieroses and Lissandela)
